Santa Clarita · Fire and Food Safety
Santa Clarita Commercial Kitchen Compliance
A commercial kitchen in Santa Clarita answers to three Los Angeles County agencies: the Los Angeles County Fire Department for fire safety, the Department of Public Health for food safety, and the Department of Public Works for grease. Here is who does what, and what each one expects to see.
Who Enforces Fire Code in Santa Clarita
Fire code in Santa Clarita is enforced by the Los Angeles County Fire Department, formally the Consolidated Fire Protection District of Los Angeles County, a special district governed by the county Board of Supervisors. Santa Clarita falls under the department's North Regional Operations Bureau.
The department's Fire Prevention Division works through regional units in its North, Central and East regions, which conduct annual business inspections, new construction field inspections and plan checks for fire extinguishing systems, including the systems that protect kitchen hoods.
The 2025 California Fire Code has been in effect statewide since January 1, 2026, and it is the path by which NFPA 96, the standard for commercial kitchen exhaust systems, applies to your hood, ducts and fan, in the edition California has adopted.
Who Inspects Food Safety in Santa Clarita
Santa Clarita has no health department of its own; food safety in the city is inspected by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health's Environmental Health division. Every inspection starts at 100 points, and each violation deducts points by its public health risk. A is 90 to 100, B is 80 to 89, and C is 70 to 79. Below 70, there is no letter: the kitchen posts a score card showing the actual number, and the card stays up until the next routine inspection.
Two scores below 70 within 12 months make a kitchen subject to closure and legal action. A single critical violation can close it regardless of the score, and a major critical risk factor not corrected by the end of the inspection suspends the health permit on the spot. The most recent inspection report must be available to any customer who asks.
What's Local: The County's Grease Rules
Santa Clarita's local sewers are maintained by the Los Angeles County Consolidated Sewer Maintenance District on the city's behalf, and grease from restaurants is regulated by the Los Angeles County Public Works Industrial Waste Unit. Grease pretreatment devices are required for most restaurant and food service installations, and the unit issues the industrial waste approval under the county's pretreatment guidelines for restaurants.
The usable part: the Industrial Waste Unit has an office in Santa Clarita, at 23757 West Valencia Boulevard, (661) 222-2953. Take grease device questions there before plans go to plan check.
Santa Clarita Follows Los Angeles County's Framework
For how Los Angeles County inspects and publishes results, and how it compares with the rest of California, see the Los Angeles County page.